Statement by the spokesman of the U.S. Department of State “We are deeply concerned by Saturday’s actions by an armed group to block Prime Minister Fino’s movements within the country.” The international community can help stabilize the situation in Albania, but Albania’s progress will depend on the commitment of Albanians to a democratic government and not on how capable it is of governing. In this special message from the U.S. Department of State to the newspaper “Zëri i Popullit,” the department spokesman, Nicholas Burns, praised the role of Prime Minister Bashkim Fino’s government and of the political forces engaged in consolidating the country and in ensuring the prime minister’s free movement throughout the country. “We encourage Prime Minister Fino’s decision to go to Vlorë to talk with Albanian citizens and other political forces. We believe that he and as many people as possible need to move unhindered throughout the country,” so that there will be an opportunity to discuss issues peacefully and move forward toward free democratic elections. In a telegram yesterday to Vlorë, the news agency Reuters reported that Prime Minister Fino was not allowed to enter the building of a major party by a demonstration of about 130 people, many of whom were carrying weapons. “We are also concerned by the lack of order, which has obstructed all these objectives in the north of the country,” said the spokesman of the U.S. Department of State, Nicholas Burns. “With these actions, the world knows the real intentions of the organizers of violence and anarchy.” For this difficult and turbulent period we have gone through and are still going through, the United States and the other countries of the European Union are increasingly convincing us that only the government led by Bashkim Fino is acting seriously and serving Albania’s true interests. According to the spokesman, “It is especially concerned about the obstacles that are being created for the prime minister to move freely around Albania.” The State Department, he adds, does not seek to replace the leadership of any party with an individual or a group, but to encourage peace. The American press reported that “the Government of National Reconciliation is also being very well received among the insurgents.” According to the magazine Time, “when the Vlora insurgents were asked whether they were supporting Bashkim Fino, the group merely raised their hands.” In Vlorë, the government’s movements had been limited. He was prevented by rebels from speaking in the central square, forcing him to gather inside a café. Despite the security reforms that will be taken shortly and their implementation, this must be undertaken by the Albanian people. According to the adviser to the American president, “without fair elections and a democratic government, Albania will remain isolated.” U.S. Secretary of Defense William Cohen said that the United States generally follows the policies of the European Union and also expressed concern about the safe movement of the prime minister. [Continued on page 2]

BERISHA’S POLITICAL FIASCO It is about the so-called “humanitarian ship,” with which, after loudly declaring that he was going to Vlorë to help the Albanian people, as soon as he set foot on the shore, he hurriedly turned back. In any case, as in a café, they lose their place; if you want to, there is doctor and nurse to spare. There were also some police forces, very few indeed. With the ships that arrived yesterday for the first time in the port of Vlorë, where aid and supplies have so far been brought by land, experts, doctors, and civil servants should indeed have been on board as well, in order to present their conduct more convincingly and dispel the propaganda against which Berisha’s latest efforts are directed. In the state television reports they tried to turn defeat into victory. But the people who watched with their own eyes saw the opposite. On the Vlorë shore, where doctors and nurses entered with humanitarian aid for the traumatized people and the wounded from the days of revolt, for whom there will be no small amount of care to provide, it was clear who came with a humanitarian mission and who came for noise and publicity. So there was no need for such a noisy departure, which would also create a mismatch with the expected political developments. [Continued on page 2]

The Austrian spokesman Georg Biron said on Tuesday that 5–6 Austrian banks, including two of the largest, Erste and Raiffeisen, are blocking and investigating bank accounts that arrived in the name of Albanian companies. He said these actions are being carried out on orders from the authorities, on the basis of the anti-money-laundering law. According to Biron, the accounts of the investment company VEFA, the Populli foundation, and Gjallëca have been blocked. [Continued on page 2]

Panic in the ranks of the Democratic Party The leadership of PDSH is being kept under constant control. Reserved sources say that there are 20 rebellious MPs of this political force, who have not yet decided whether or not to break away from the parliamentary group. Unofficial reports indicate that intensive meetings are taking place between MPs from the south and the north. Amid these developments, the leadership of PDSH is facing pressure from the resigned ministers, who are demanding a clear solution from the country’s president for the situation that has arisen. Other sources speak of meetings at the blue headquarters and strong debates over the fate of the parliamentary group. [Continued on page 2]

AT THE MINISTRY OF INTERIOR Senior officials of the U.S. Embassy said yesterday that in Albania, Deputy Ambassador Mariza Lino is in Tirana, where she attended an extraordinary cabinet session. The Minister of Public Order has left for Vlorë, while recent developments have increased tension in the capital. The government cabinet is discussing security measures and the strengthening of order. Other sources say that further administrative and political moves are being prepared. [Continued on page 2]

“Any government enjoys broad international support, which will not be affected by threats or unilateral withdrawals by any party...”